Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own True Blood.

Chapter two~

"Come on girlies!" Gabe, one of Steve Newlin's lackeys, yelled. "Pick up the pace! If you can't run this, then you're obviously just a bunch of Satan-loving fangbangers!"

His car roared next to us as we ran, driving easily over the smooth road. I kept up a good pace, but some girls were lacking behind, huffing and puffing. I prayed in thanks to the heavens that I wasn't unfit. I really did not feel like being soaked on that particular run.

That's right. The monstrous man would dump a bucket of ice cold water over girls who weren't keeping the pace. I shivered, wondering what would happen to the boys if they didn't keep running. I wasn't too worried for Jason; he had good stamina, after all. But still, I couldn't be sure in this crazy place, which I was regretting ever taking one step into.

He grinned, producing a rather large watergun from the car. He aimed it at an unsuspecting girl, who had slowed down to a fast walk. She was breathing heavily, and was quite red in the face. Poor girl. I had the urge to snatch the gun out Gabe's greasy hands, and whack him over the head with it.

I was too late, however, as she was brutally soaked by the water-weapon. She shrieked as the freezing water smashed into her face.

Some of the girls running behind me sniggered. "Serves her right," One said snootily. "She's probably just another one of Satan's whores." A couple of other girls nodded their heads and made agreeing noises at this.

I let out an inaudible sigh. I just wanted this stupid run to be over with, so I could have a nice, warm shower, and a good night's sleep. If I finished before everyone else, maybe I could get to the dining hall and grab some hot food first. The girls always seemed to get there after the boys, resulting in them devouring all the hot stuff.

With this thought in mind, I picked up my pace, leaving the other girls to bite my dust. The only thought on my mind as I ran past the trees was how I'd get a nice dinner for once – not the cold leftover crap I usually got here at L.O.D.I.

What I didn't notice, though, was a pair of eyes watching me…calculating me.

"Honey, she's Jason Stackhouse's sister, isn't she?" Steve Newlin's wife, Sarah asked.

Newlin nodded, watching from the church's window as she sped past everyone else. "Yes. Rosalie Stackhouse," He grinned, a proud gleam in his eye. "Sister of Jason Stackhouse. They're both perfect for the troops. Rosalie is so determined…just like her brother."

Sarah nodded in agreement, and the Reverend continued to grin in glee.

"Ach, they always get here before me!" I whined, watching in despair as the boys stuffed their faces. "And to think…I worked my arse off just to get here…"

"Hey, sis!" Jason called from one of the benches, waving. "Over here!"

Jason was sitting with some of the boys, including a boy with dark hair and green eyes. I walked over and took a seat next to Jason.

"Hi, Jason," I smiled at him. He grinned back.

"Guess what, Rose," He started excitedly. "Sarah and Steve gave me a spot as a Soldier of the Sun!" Jason gushed, grabbing me and squeezing me in a death-hug.

I frowned deeply at this. Soldier of the Sun? Wasn't that for one of Newlin's troops? I didn't like the idea of my brother getting involved in that, and I was about to tell him too. But, when I looked up at him, and saw him smiling and looking so happy, I just couldn't tell him. I didn't want to make that happiness go away, so, being the good sister I was, I shut my mouth.

"Hey, is this your little sister?" The boy with the dark hair and green eyes asked.

Jason grinned, and ruffled my hair. He turned me so I could face the boy. "Yup. This is Rosalie. Rose, this is Luke Mcdonald."

I plastered on a smile, and shook his hand. "Hey. I'm Rosalie, but you can call me Rose."

Luke gave me a cheeky grin. "You never told me God had blessed your little sister, Jason," He said. "You're a beautiful little thing."

I blushed, and rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment. People had always told me I was "beautiful", but honestly – I didn't really see it. I was nothing like Jason or Sookie – they all had bright blonde hair, and tanned skin. While me, on the other hand, had a very dark brown hair colour, and fair skin. While Sook and Jase had light blue eyes, I had my mysterious dark brown ones.

Jase wrapped a protective arm around my shoulders. "Don't get any ideas, dude," He warned Luke, pointing a finger at him threateningly. "That's my little sister you're talking about."

Luke's grin widened. "Come on, I'm sure the little lady would like to go on a little date with me," He said, winking at me. I cringed inwardly.

"The hell?" Jason hissed, slamming his hand on the table. "If you touch my sister, Luke, I will rip your –"

"Jason!" I whispered urgently, not wanting to attract any more attention than we already had. "Calm down, okay?"

He nodded, and stood down, reluctantly. Jason still held his arm around me, though, which earned him an eye roll from me. Honestly, big brothers these days…

"Hey, didn't you get any food, Rose?" Luke asked me, pointing to my empty plate.

I shrugged half-heartedly. "No hot food left," I replied causally.

Luke frowned, and pushed his plate over to me. "Take mine. I'm full, anyways," He said.

I shook my head. "No, it's your food. I couldn't possibly –" I was cut off, as my stomach rumbled loudly.

Luke grinned happily at me. "What was that about not wanting food?" He asked, chuckling. I blushed, and mock-glared at him, grabbing a plastic fork in the middle of the table.

As I was tucking into Luke's dinner of mashed potatoes and meat, the girls filed in, taking their seats, and begrudgingly scooping out cold mash and strips of meat. I stifled a giggle, and felt Jason look down at me, smirking.

"Why are you here before everyone else, anyway, Rose?" He asked curiously.

I shrugged again, swallowing a mouthful. "I wanted to get dinner before everyone else," I answered truthfully, watching as the girls ate. Some sent me jealous glances, while others stared at me in awe. Jason, noticing this, raised an eyebrow.

I sighed. "I may have kinda…beaten the running record…" I said, muttering the last part.

Jason nodded. "Ah. That's explains why they keep glaring at you like that…" His thoughtful expression broke out into a happy one, as she noogied by head. "Anyway, I'm proud of you, sis!"

I groaned, and tried to prise his giant hands off my head. "Okay…okay. You're gonna give me brain damage."

Jason scratched his head, grinning sheepishly. "Right, sorry, Rose."

Suddenly, a hand was clamped onto my shoulder. I instantly stiffened, knowing it wasn't my big brother's hand. This hand felt too soft. Jase's was rough and calloused from years of hard work. This hand reminded me of someone who was always pampered and well-looked after.

I smirked internally, feeling awesome that I could get that much info by just feeling someone's hand.

"Miss Stackhouse, why are you over here with all the boys?" A sickeningly familiar voice drawled. "Don't you want to sit with the girls?"

I looked around slowly, coming face to face with the almost forced-smile of Reverend Steve Newlin. I forced my own little smile. "I'd just prefer to sit with my brother, Mr Newlin," I answered with fake cheer.

Mr Newlin beamed at me. "Of course, dear," He chuckled. "Oh, and please just call me Steve. You've earned that right."

"'Earned'?" I asked skeptically.

Steve nodded, still grinning like the Cheshire cat. "Sarah and I saw you beat the record today," He answered. Uh oh. I don't like where this is going… "And we thought you'd be a perfect Soldier of the Sun."

Shit. What was I supposed to do? I'd joined a group of extremists with views I didn't even believe in. How could I possibly join in the fight to kill the vampires when I didn't even want to?

"Miss Stackhouse?" Steve called, flicking my forehead. "I can give you some time to think about it, if you want," He offered, smiling. "But I seriously recommend it. Determined kids like you don't come around all too often."

I nodded numbly, not really paying attention as he strided off, that stupid smile still stuck on his face.

"Hey, Rose?" Jason asked, nudging me.

"Hmm?" I murmured, turning to look at him. "What is it?"

He frowned. "Why didn't you accept his offer? It's an honour to be a part of God's holy army. You should –"

I tuned my brother out for the rest of dinner. Of course, he wasn't the brightest bulb in the pack, so he had no idea I was intentionally ignoring him.

But oh, man…this place….It was seriously fucking with Jase's head.

I rolled around in my bunk, rubbing my weary eyes. I was exhausted…but I couldn't get any sleep. Steve's offer was burning a hole in my mind. I didn't want to accept it, because, frankly, I was only here to keep an eye on my brother, really. I wasn't into all that anti-vampire shit.

But, on the other hand, if I refused…Well, I was a little scared of the outcome. Steve seemed all friendly and cheerful on the outside, but I knew all those smiles and grins were fake. I could tell he forced them – his eyes gave it away. When he smiled, they remained dull and lifeless.

I sighed internally. Maybe I should get Jase to send me home. This place…wait, no. No – I couldn't leave by myself. I had to bring Jason with me. I couldn't let them manipulate him anymore than they already had. This place was unhealthy. For me and Jason.

I sighed again, this time out loud. I glanced around me in the darkness of the dormitory, glad that I hadn't woken up any of the girls with my tossing and turning.

I carefully clambered out of my bed – I was extremely grateful that I'd chosen the bottom bunk, now – and silently crept out the room. A nighttime walk was in order – one, so I could clear my head, and two, because I couldn't sleep.

I padded down the silent hallways, turning random curves and twists every now and then. God, this church is huge…

I literally had no idea where I was going. My feet were taking me on a little adventure, so to speak. But there was something pulling me along…like, a tug at my chest. Willing me to go in a certain direction.

I was curious. Where would this pull take me? It occurred to me that maybe I was imagining it; after all, it was near quarter to one in the morning. My brain wasn't exactly the sharpest at that time.

Eventually, I stopped when I came to a set of stairs. They led downwards, no doubt into some kind of basement. I peered through the darkness, looking for any kind of monsters lurking in the shadowy depths.

Of course I was being paranoid. What could possibly be so frightening down in the basement? I was curious, anyway. The pull was tugging at my chest, asking – no, demanding that I walk down the stairs.

So I did. I climbed downwards, letting the darkness engulf me.

There wasn't really anything of interest down in the basement. Apart from little models of Jesus and other church-related things, it was pretty much empty.

After my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, I realised that there was a big, wire-cut cage in the room. Now my curiosity was spiked. Why on earth was there a cage down here? What could Steve Newlin possibly be keeping locked up…?

I walked up to the cage, my hands automatically reaching for the cool silver of the bars.

Suddenly, I saw a flash of white inside.

I stumbled backwards, landing rather ungracefully on the cold floor. The room temperature suddenly felt freezing; I started to regret wearing my light nightgown.

What was that I just saw? I stood up, my heart pounding in my chest, my legs wobbling like jelly. I peered through the bars again, and almost screamed when a pale face appeared in front of mine.

"Ah!" I croaked out. I started to move backwards, but two arms grabbed at my hands. I tried to wriggle them free, but the grip was as strong as steel.

"What are you doing down here, little Human?" A voice asked in the darkness. The voice had a strange accent to it, one which I couldn't quite put my finger on. It also had a soft, yet hard edge to it, sounding like a boy's – one which was near to becoming a man.

I could see him more clearly now. He was a boy around my age, maybe a bit older. He had a handsome face, but the thing that shocked me the most was his unnatural pale and cold skin. He held an air of authority around him, like he was important somehow. The boy had strange markings around his right arm, and some more tattoos on his chest. His eyes were a mixture of grey and blue.

"What are you doing down here?" He repeated, his voice soft.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I apologised. "I didn't mean to disturb you…"

He chuckled dryly. "You are apologising? I half expected you to shout at me."

"Shout at you?" I wondered aloud, tilting my head. "You haven't harmed me or done anything bad to me in any way…why would I shout at you?"

The boy seemed geniuely surprised at this. "Do you not know what I am, little one?" He asked, his grip on my arms tightening a little. "I am a Vampire."

I nodded. I expected as much – I mean, he was super-fast, ice cold, and impossibly pale. All features of a Vamp. "Yeah, I know," I agreed. "So?"

He was at a loss of words for this comment. "You do not hate me? I thought that the Fellowship of the Sun was against my race."

I laughed nervously. "Um, you see…I don't really believe in any of that anti-vampire stuff," I answered truthfully.

He chuckled, seemingly amused. "Then why on earth have you joined this group?"

"Well…you see," I sighed deeply, "My brother wanted to join. So, I came with him, to keep an eye on him and stuff."

He raised a perfect eyebrow at this. "Can your brother not look after himself?" He asked.

I snorted. "No. Jason's not the brightest bulb in the pack, you know," I stated dryly.

The boy's chest rumbled as he let out a deep laugh. "I see. What is your name, little one?" He asked, releasing his grip on my arms.

I grinned, standing on my tiptoes so I could kind of reach his height. "My name is Rosalie Stackhouse!" I declared. "Remember my name and cower in fear!" I finished dramatically, waving my hands about for emphasis.

The boy laughed again. "You're a funny Human, Rosalie," The boy chuckled. "In all my two thousand years on this Earth, I have never met someone as interesting as you."

"T-two-thousand years?!" I gasped out incredulously. "Man, you are old."

His mouth twitched in an amused smirk. "That I am. You should be afraid of a monster like me."

I frowned, tapping my chin. "But you don't scare me, though," I admitted. "What are you doing down here, anyway?" I asked.

"I believe I asked you that first, Rosalie," He said, crouching. I copied him, so I could face him better.

"Hmm…well, I couldn't sleep," I sighed. "So I took a walk. I ended up here somehow."

The boy frowned. "But how did you find this basement? It's rather hard to navigate the halls."

I shrugged. "Ah…if I told you the reason, you'd laugh. It's silly."

"Try me," He demanded.

I sighed deeply, running a hand through my hair. "Well…I felt a kind of…pull," I said slowly. "Like something was tugging at my chest to come down here, you know?"

I was answered by silence.

After a few moments I let out a breath. "Told you it was ridiculous," I grumbled.

The boy suddenly whipped his arm through the bars again, grabbing hold of one of my hands. He took it in his own hand, and started to play with my fingers. He brought my pinky up to his face, and he inspected it, almost curiously.

I wasn't really sure what to do in this situation, so I just kept quiet.

"I don't think it is ridiculous, Rosalie," He said softly, his voice almost a whisper.

"You don't?" I asked quietly.

He shook his head. "No," He said, bringing my hand up to his lips. He kissed it softly, sending shivers up my arm and down my spine.

"I didn't get your name," I said suddenly. "What is it?"

He gave me a genuine smile, kissing my fingertips, before reluctantly releasing my hand. "It is Godric."